Executive Team

Executive Team

You are here:

KYLE SIMONSON | Chief Executive Officer, Founder

Celebrating perpetual renewal in every stage of life.

It’s a beautiful thing when someone is able to live out their calling, even more so when that purpose draws out the best in others. Kyle Simonson is one such individual. She has found her bliss in making others look and feel good. In her words, “The essence of our brand promise, Experience Perpetual Renewal, is illustrated by the uninterrupted spiral icon; no beginning-no end.”
Since 1983, she has fostered an environment where continuous improvement, open communication, and innovation have become the cornerstone of a highly successful business model and a fiercely loyal and talented staff who daily push the limits of their potential skyward. In her own words, “The most rewarding aspect of being a business owner is the joy of nurturing your team to achieve their fullest potential.”

Merging the business craft of the burgeoning day spa industry with a genuine commitment to people and quality has been daunting, yet the kind of task she was cut out for. The unparalleled Simonson’s experience is a product of Kyle’s years of hard work, personal sacrifice, and focus. Today, she is a recognized leader in her field as well as in the community at large.

As with every stage of her career, Kyle Simonson continues to embrace new opportunities. She revels in the thrill of discovering it, loving it and living it! In recent years, that passion was focused on the purchase and redevelopment of real estate for the express purpose of relocating all three locations from their uninspiring rental sites; Maple Grove in 2010, Plymouth in 2013 and Anoka to Coon Rapids in 2014. Owning a piece of the rock from the ground up is a metaphor that reflects her personal vision of experiencing perpetual renewal. While making the most of her experience, she embraces the future with contagious optimism, “There’s something to celebrate and be grateful for everyday!”

CARRIE JOHNSON | Chief Operating Officer

Success is in the details.

Attention to detail, Carrie Johnson will tell you, is what has established Simonson’s as the premier day spa experience of salons in the Twin Cities, emphasizing, “We truly care about each and every guest that comes to Simonson’s.” As Chief Operating Officer, she is responsible for information technology, standard operating policy and accounting oversight. Working with founder and CEO, Kyle Simonson, Carrie strives to create an environment where technique and technology are always improving and where an impeccable industry-wide reputation is the natural outgrowth of the company-wide passion for excellence.

Carrie is a graduate of the University of Minnesota at Duluth with a bachelor’s degree in biology. Her studies included chemistry and psychology with an eye toward a career in veterinary medicine, but while working in an animal hospital, she found that her interests leaned more toward business. In 2001, she found Simonson’s and began as an executive assistant. It was no surprise she absorbed virtually every aspect of the business, proving herself capable of progressively increased responsibility and finding an unexpected excitement for the service industry.

Always looking for a way to make the process and the experience better, Carrie welcomes new challenges and pushing beyond expectations. “I thrive in an interesting environment,” says Carrie, “I love the constant challenges.”

MARILYN AASE | Education and Sales Director

Excellence is passion and skills on a collision course.

Marilyn Aase has been a licensed cosmetologist in Minnesota for over two decades. Her expansive knowledge of the beauty industry is the chief reason she is so accomplished in her current position as the Education and Sales Director for Simonson’s Salon & Spas three location enterprise in Minneapolis, MN. Aase is responsible for new service and product procurement and deployment initiatives, internal education development, and is a key member on the executive team.

In her role as the principal executive in charge of education development, Aase mentors a collective group of salon and spa educators who provide ‘high-touch’ department specific skills that synergistically contribute to the success of the team. The result is an enthusiastic and cultured team of beauty technicians who bring new meaning to the word ‘expert’. Aase is also involved in the selection process of the licensed professionals who seek to become a Simonson’s service provider.

Prior to her appointment at Simonson’s, Aase’s talents evolved for over a decade at esteemed companies such as Clairol Professional, Matrix and L’Oreal USA where she conducted stage presentations and education seminars on topics such as hair color, texture, haircutting, communication and sales to both large and small professional beauty industry groups. Aase’s background is a unique compilation of practical experience as a cosmetologist, salon manager, and industry presenter.

DEIDRE SIMONSON | Director of Quality Control

Rising to every occasion.

One might say that for Deidre Simonson the day spa business is in her blood. From an early age, she saw first-hand the demands and rewards of a career in the service industry. In 2004, she dove in and hasn’t looked back. In her words: “I knew it was my calling because I witnessed firsthand as our business grew from its very humble beginnings.” Deidre began working at the family business at the bottom as a sanitation steward and worked her way up as a Guest Services Representative, Team Leader, Lead Salon Coordinator and ultimately growing into her current position of Director of Quality Control. Her career path has given her hands-on experience at every level of the company’s operations; a fact that makes her highly relatable to the teams she leads.

A Minnesota native, Deidre grew up in Maple Grove. She actively looks for a way to fine-tune the Simonson’s experience: “I go above and beyond to ensure that I have truly made a guest’s day.

When not working, she is enjoying the great outdoors on one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes or making the most of our long winters, ripping up the slopes on her snowboard.

MEGAN MANZKE | Human Resources Administrator

Determined to make a positive impact.

Megan Manzke is the Human Resources Administrator for Simonson’s Salon & Spa. She is a talented business partner and liaison for the executive team and the team members of Simonson’s. In her role, she is responsible for fostering an inclusive culture of quality experience, diversity and team member engagement. She administers recruitment, new team member orientations, healthcare and retirement benefits and payroll. She informs the team of changes in healthcare, safety regulations, and employment laws. She also enforces compliancy with required licenses for all technicians.

Megan graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with her Bachelors in Business Administration in May of 2011. After graduation, she worked in the insurance industry before taking a job as a Talent Specialist with Pro Staff in the summer of 2012. Before joining Simonson’s, she gained a wide-range of experience from Olympic Steel where she worked as the HR Administrator for two and a half years.

Megan grew up in a small rural town in Wisconsin, with her two sisters, and relocated to Minnesota to be with her fiancé, now husband. She now resides in Big Lake with her husband, Aaron, and son, Landon. Megan’s drive and ambition makes her a great fit for Simonson’s.

MELISSA MATTHEWS | Marketing & Media Coordinator

Talking up the buzz about simonson’s!

Serving up a great balance of fresh creative energy, business savvy, and community mindedness, Melissa brings to bear her multi-faceted talents on her ever-changing demands as Simonson’s Marketing and Media Coordinator. “Whether it is updated technology, social media applications, or a different product, there is always something new and innovative,” she says of her busy but intensely satisfying work. With an accomplished background in advertising, project management, and event planning, Melissa’s current work brings out the best of Simonson’s corporate brand of superior customer care and perpetual renewal.

Growing up in the Twin Cities area, Melissa chose to attend the University of Minnesota for her education, enjoying both the local feel of her hometown campus as well as the diverse metropolitan student body. She graduated with a degree in Journalism with an emphasis in advertising. She also minored in Retail Merchandising. Her professional experience spans nonprofit, corporate, and community organizations including an exciting position with a professional sports franchise. Coupled with her polished design and social media skills, Melissa has everyone talking about Simonson’s!

Melissa enjoys spending her free time with her husband Paul and their Pug dog, Chloe, while keeping fit on the local running trails and frequenting the trendy restaurants or boutiques of the hipster hot spots.